Today GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright announces Unfollow the Rules: The Paramour Session, a concert that will be livestreamed on Saturday, June 27th at 2pm EST / 8pm CET / 7pm BST. 

The livestream will premiere in Germany and France on ARTE Concert and ARTE Concert’s Facebook and ALL ARTS’ Facebook for the U.S. and all other territories. ARTE’s stream of the concert will be available as VOD for 90 days. The livestream will also be accessible via Rufus Wainwright’s Official Facebook. 

Rufus will perform acoustically, with a socially distanced string section, piano and guitar to accompany him, in the ballroom of LA’s Paramour Mansion, former home of silent film star Antonio Moreno. The concert will feature Rufus’ upcoming album Unfollow the Rules in its entirety plus some additional songs from Wainwright’s existing repertoire and some new compositions, one of them written during and reflecting on the lockdown period reflecting. 

Rufus Wainwright has released this statement regarding the concert:

“The Paramour Session will show a completely different side of Unfollow the Rules. Acoustic, stripped back, sparser, but. in a Rufus Wainwrightian sense of course. Good songs can survive in many different environments. I want my fans to have an opportunity to hear the music live when the album comes out. The only way we can do this responsibly during these times is with acoustic instruments, and fewer musicians in a large space, where everyone can be 6 feet or more apart, with a super small crew. Rather than attempting to imitate the sound of the album I think it’s both more responsible and more creatively interesting to try something new. There are no drums, no effects, no bass, no horns, no flutes, no back-up vocals — only strings that are bowed, picked, hammered, or strummed, and my voice. Let’s hope less is more. Of course, it helps that we are filming and live streaming this from the gorgeous ballroom of the Paramour Estate, a 1920s Hollywood silent film star’s mansion.”

UNFOLLOW THE RULES has already been met with remarkable praise from some of Wainwright’s friends, fans, and fellow artists. “This is pop music on a grand scale; sweeping, symphonic, unabashedly emotional and fearlessly agnostic in style and delivery,” says Sting, while Cyndi Lauper described the album as “Rufus’ PET SOUNDS. It sounds like a culmination of everything he has done. It’s a great album, catchy and intelligent.” 

The band will consist of:

Brian Green, guitar and music director

Jacob Mann, piano and celeste 

Rebecca Schlappich Charles, violin

Eliza James, violin

Jayna Chou, viola

Danica Pinner, cello

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Duffy uploads a moving new track, ‘River In the Sky’. The deeply personal and emotive piano-driven song will only be made available across Duffy’s social media channels, which Duffy captions with the words: “For the better days to come.”

Duffy, who recently shared her harrowing story explaining her disappearance from the public eye, first took the brave step of sharing new music by sending Jo Whiley an “only for radio” track, called ‘Something Beautiful’, in March. The beautifully raw and poignant ‘River In The Sky’ is another step for Duffy, as she becomes a little more confident to “sing again.”

Listen to ‘River In the Sky’ HERE

In a personal account, on her blog (http://duffywords.com/), Duffy wrote, “I never knew if I would get to the place of being able to do this, I am grateful to get here. Not everyone has the privilege of being able to talk, such as I am doing today,” as she explained in detail the account of a rape and kidnap ordeal that would steal “thousands of days from her life.”

She further explains, “Finally, the realisation that the very thing that hurt me, will become the very thing that heals me. I faced a deeply inhumane experience; only humanity can heal that.” ‘River in the sky’ discusses sorrow and the desire to be unburdened; she sings, “As I walk this life, doubt on my mind, I pray to fly, burden free.”

This is something simply for people to enjoy “for the better days to come”.

For all approved press shots of Duffy click HERE.

http://duffywords.com/

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Grammy Award®-nominated singer/songwriter Natasha Bedingfield has recorded a brand new song for the JUNGLE BEAT: THE MOVIE entitled ‘Together in This’. The song will be the featured single on the soundtrack as well as the official end title track for the film and will be available for download/streaming on June 26th.

Written by Grammy Award®-winning singer/songwriter Jonas Myrin, the song was not only inspired by the film’s themes of togetherness and friendship, but also the state of the world today, reminding us that although we may be apart, we’re never alone.

Sunrise Productions, will make its worldwide debut on digital platforms worldwide on June 26th. In addition to Amazon, GooglePlay and AppleTV, the film will also be available on multiple platforms in 98 countries. To celebrate the launch, the filmmakers invite viewers to join them for Africa’s first-ever worldwide family movie night. For more info, visit the film’s website.  Ahead of its worldwide debut, the film is first making its official premiere as one of the ten films in official competition as part of this year’s digital edition of the Annecy Int’l Animation Festival, Annecy Online, which kicked off earlier this week on June 15th.

To watch the movie trailer for JUNGLE BEAT: THE MOVIE, click HERE

Jungle Beat: The Movie is a family friendly adventure of epic proportions written and directed by Brent Dawes. When a homesick alien crash-lands his spaceship near the colorful African jungle, his new animal friends need to find a way to get him back to his ship and teach him about friendship and fun before his Space-Conqueror father can take over the planet. The film is based on the global hit series, Jungle Beat, which has broadcast in over 196 countries and across a range of media platforms including TV, cinema and in-flight entertainment.

“‘Together in This’ is such a timely song, and we’re so grateful to Jonas and Natasha who both did an incredible job writing and performing it,” said Sandcastle Studios Producer Rita Mbanga. “In this time in our world we so desperately need voices and messages of hope, and we really believe our film and the song will inspire unconditional love and acceptance in a world which needs an abundance of both.”

For more information on the film, visit the website or follow on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and/or Twitter. The Jungle Beat: The Movie press kit is available here.

Nashville, TN – ‘Saudade’, the impressive debut album from Juni Ata is set for independent release on August 21^st via Flying On Fire Records.

‘Saudade’is a deeply emotional collection of 11 songs brimming with poetic lyrics, rich melodies and arrangements that are as lush and elevating at times as they are sparse and captivating elsewhere. The album serves as an introduction to an artist who has been writing songs for himself for years with no intention of ever recording or releasing them. Thanks to the provocation of a dear friend, and the unfortunate circumstances dictated by a global pandemic, the music of Juni Ata will finally see the light of day this summer, starting with the sweeping new track “Philadelphia”.

Listen to ‘Philadelphia’ HERE

‘Saudade’ (sow-da-day), a Portuguese word loosely translated as “a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing”, is the work of singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Jesse Daniel Edwards, who records under the moniker Juni Ata. Edwards was raised in a small mountain town in Southern California in a loving and deeply religious home, with minimal exposure to secular music. Edwards didn’t hear his first Dylan song until his early 20’s, yet music was all around the house. As he grew older, he performed in a duo with his brother both in clubs and busking, but that eventually ended followed by a stint in the Los Angeles area. Edwards decided to relocate to Nashville, where John Prine’s late manager Al Bunetta took him under his wing and became a friend and mentor before his untimely passing in 2015.

After losing his mother and a crushing breakup, Edwards’ drive was diminished, he also felt his music didn’t fit with current trends, so he pulled back and chose to only write for himself. With the change of direction, he joined up with his friend Jake Rosswog taking a job in tour management for Morrissey for some time as well as Lucinda Williams, while still furtively writing. He had no intention of ever recording or releasing the music he was creating.

Then, one night in 2018 after some drinking in West Virginia, Rosswog coaxed Edwards into a studio where he convinced him to record one of his songs, which sparked some momentum. Rosswog became both a creative and motivating force as producer, arranger and even co-writer on four tracks. He enlisted revered musicians such a Steve Cropper and recorded at the legendary RCA Studio C. The result was a set of mesmerizing, heartfelt songs with a decade of heartbreak and loss behind them featuring Edward’s aching vocals, stellar musicianship, lush horn and string arrangements, soaring background vocals. With no set plan to put them out into world, Rosswog and Edwards went back to their day jobs and regular lives. Then, a year later COVID-19 happened. The touring industry came to an indefinite halt, which got Rosswog’s wheels turning, which brings everything to the present and plans to finally release this music.

‘Saudade’ opens with “Philadelphia” followed by the epic passion of “Fight Hard, Run Fast”. Tracks such as “Good Enough Ain’t Bad”, When It Rains In LA” and “I’ll Try Anything Twice” feature driving rhythms and infectious pop sensibilities that are refreshing and could have found their way into a mid-90’s FM playlist. “Hard Letting You Down Easy” is a breathtaking solo performance with just vocal and piano. The album closes with the inspirational, gospel-infused “Not Going Anywhere”, a song of indomitable desire about owning the choices we make.

While it took something as extreme as the current global situation for Saudade to see the light of day, maybe this is the right time for Juni Ata. The album is the result of a cathartic process. The songs are spirited, full of love, loss, growth and the strength to move forward. Is there ever really a wrong time for that?

“Once Upon A Mind is by far James’ most personal and raw (album) since
his debut.”–The Sun

“If Back To Bedlam was his songs of innocence then Once Upon A Mind is his songs
of experience” – EVENT (Mail On Sunday)

James Blunt is back to his best and at the top of his game, in a year that has seen him go from strength to strength. He today announces the ‘Time Suspended’deluxe edition of his stunning Top 3 album ‘Once Upon A Mind’ – out June 26th on Atlantic Records.

The deluxe version comes as ‘Once Upon A Mind’ fast approaches Gold status, smashing 100,000 UK sales, and features two brand new, original demos, and five stunning, acoustic versions of songs from the album.

His classic 2004 debut album ‘Back To Bedlam’, was recently named as one of the top ten best selling albums of that decade, and with ‘Once Upon A Mind’, James Blunt has reinforced his reputation for writing honest, emotional songs that people can easily relate to.

‘Once Upon A Mind’ has marked a return to what James Blunt does best – writing classic songs that touch both the heart and the head. Amongst the string of six hit singles, the album includes the breezy first single ‘Cold’, the heartbreaking ballad for his father ‘Monsters’, and the latest smash ‘The Greatest’ – of which the video applauds the NHS and health workers in the frontlines, battling the coronavirus.

James Blunt has sold over 23 million albums, had a global smash hit with ‘You’re Beautiful’ and has showcased his wit and charm more recently with his always engaging twitter account.

Track Listing: Once Upon A Mind (Time Suspended Edition)

1. Should I Give It All Up (demo)
2. Happier (demo)
3. The Truth (acoustic)
4. Cold (acoustic)
5. Champions (acoustic)
6. Monsters (acoustic)
7. 5 Miles (acoustic)
8. Halfway (acoustic)
9. The Truth
10. Cold
11. Champions
12. Monsters
13. Youngster
14. 5 Miles
15. How It Feels To Be Alive
16. I Told You
17. Halfway
18. Stop The Clock
19. The Greatest

Once Upon A Mind (Time Suspended Edition) – Digital Stores (downloads only)

1. The Truth
2. Cold
3. Champions
4. Monsters
5. Youngster
6. 5 Miles
7. How It Feels To Be Alive
8. I Told You
9. Halfway
10. Stop The Clock
11. The Greatest
12. How It Feels To Be Alive (demo)
13. Happier (demo)
14. The Truth (acoustic)
15. Cold (acoustic)
16. Champions (acoustic)
17. Monsters (acoustic)
18. 5 Miles (acoustic)
19. Halfway (acoustic)

https://www.jamesblunt.com/

Following widespread tastemaker press, fan praise and global box office success, Depeche Mode, along withSony Music Entertainment, will release their boundary-breaking, feature-length documentary and concert film, Depeche Mode: SPiRiTS in the Forest, on DVD and Blu-Ray on June 26, 2020.The band announced the news today on their social media; click here to see original post and click here to see the trailer. Pre-order is available here.

This special four-disc (two video discs plus two audio discs) configuration presents the definitive Depeche Mode: SPiRiTS in the Forestexperience at its most immersive, and will be available in both DVD and Blu-Ray formats. The package’s two video discs contain the SPiRiTS in the Forestdocumentary, alongside LiVE SPiRiTS, a full-length Depeche Mode concert performance filmed at the final two shows of the Global Spirit Tour at the Waldbühne in Berlin. This footage has never been previously released or broadcast in its entirety. In addition to the two video discs, the package includes two CDs containing the LiVE SPiRiTSsoundtrack, the live audio recording from the performance. The package promises to be essential for collectors, longtime fans, and newcomers alike.

LiVE SPiRiTS audio CD Track list:

DISC 1

1. Intro
2. Going Backwards
3. It’s No Good
4. A Pain That I’m Used To
5. Useless
6. Precious
7. World in My Eyes
8. Cover Me
9. The Things You Said
10. Insight
11. Poison Heart

DISC 2

1. Where’s the Revolution
2. Everything Counts
3.  Stripped
4. Enjoy the Silence
5. Never Let Me Down Again
6. I Want You Now
7. Heroes
8. Walking In My Shoes
9. Personal Jesus
10. Just Can’t Get Enough

Depeche Mode: SPiRiTS in the Forest set “the new gold standard for concert films,”according to Forbes. Re-envisioning the very concept of a music documentary, director and longtime Depeche Mode collaborator Anton Corbijn focused the narrative on six super fans from different regions of the globe. The film zeroes in on their lives – all extremely different save for their love of Depeche Mode’s music and the way that music has shaped their experiences – intercut with the final Berlin show, held at the iconic Waldbühne (“Forest Stage”)on the record-breaking two-year Global Spirit Tourin 2018, which saw them play to over 3 million fans at 115 shows around the world. The music, including several of Depeche Mode’s biggest hits, and the Spirits’ stories entwine seamlessly, illuminating the enduring power of Depeche Mode and the power music has to cross boundaries and borders and ultimately unite us.

One of the strongest performing event cinema releases, Depeche Mode: SPiRiTS in the Forestinitially opened on 3,000 screens across nearly 80 countries last November. The filmgrossed $4.5 million and was seen by over 220,000 people. Recently, it began streaming on Prime Video in over 130 territories worldwide and can also be found on iTunes. Watch here.

For more information, please visit spiritsintheforest.com.

 Following the release of a string of stunning tracks, country pop duo, Ward Thomas, today release the video for gorgeous new track ‘Landslide’, a cover of the Fleetwood Mac classic which they debuted in their live set supporting James Blunt earlier this year. It is also the final track to complete ‘The Space Between EP’ – out today. Catherine and Lizzy will also embark on their ‘Unfiltered’ acoustic tour, which was rescheduled due to Covid-19, in September. The 16-date run includes two dates at London’s Union Chapel on the 18^th & 19^th September.

Watch the video for ‘Landslide’ HERE and listen to ‘The Space Between’ EP HERE

Speaking of the EP, which was written and recorded between London, Hampshire and Nashville, Lizzy said, “this EP is all about togetherness. Holding space for someone, reaching out to help, or just being present and there with someone through a difficult time.”

Ward Thomas play the following rescheduled UK dates this September. Tickets on-sale now HERE

September

Tues 1^st                        WOKING, New Victoria Working Theatre

Weds 2^nd                     SOUTHEND, Palace Theatre

Thurs 3^rd                      BOURNEMOUTH, O2 Academy

Fri 4^th                           BRIGHTON, St George’s

Sun 6^th                         LEEDS, City Varieties                                           SOLD-OUT

Mon 7^th                       GLASGOW, Mackintosh Church                                SOLD-OUT

Tues 8^th                       EDINBURGH, Queen’s Hall

Weds 9^th                      MANCHESTER, RNCM Theatre

Fri 11^th                          BARROW, Forum Theatre

Sat 12^th                        LIVERPOOL, Grand Theatre

Sun 13^th                       LEAMINGTON SPA, Assembly

Mon 14^th                      BATH, Forum

Weds 16^th                     NORWICH, Epic Studios

Fri 18^th                         LONDON, Union Chapel                                             SOLD-OUT

Sat 19^th                        LONDON, Union Chapel

Mon 21^st                      LINCOLN, Engine Shed

Ward Thomas released their top-10 charting album ‘Restless Minds’ in 2019, the follow-up to their chart topping sophomore album ‘Cartwheels’.

http://www.wardthomasmusic.com

One of the UK’s fastest rising new acts, The Snuts, have released their charged new single ‘Elephants’. The track is the band’s first taste of new music since the release of their debut ‘Mixtape EP’, which took the charts by storm in March. Premiering on Annie Mac’s Radio One show, the track went straight in at number 1 on the iTunes chart and shut down Twitter with their hashtag topping the trending chart.

Recorded at The Firepit in London with Tony Hoffer (Beck, Goldfrapp, M83), ‘Elephants’ sees The Snuts hit a new gear. The raw, rousing track sees the band continue their cross pollination of genres, with front man Jack Cochrane’s candid vocals becoming a staple of the band’s sound.

Speaking of the track Jack said, “Elephants is another twist on our ever growing diverse catalogue. The song in whole features a change in lyrical style leaning more towards referencing.” He continues, “The main theme of this track is about believing in your own ability in times of struggle and diversity.”

Listen to ‘Elephants’ HERE

With a sensational rise since the release of live favourite ‘Juan Belmonte’ in 2019 and an avid adoring fan base, The Snuts have been garnering a massive following in the UK with support from the likes of BBC 6 Music, Radio 1, Radio X, Absolute Radio, NME, Independent, Clash, Notion, Far Out Magazine and Dork Magazine. The band’s debut ‘Mixtape EP’, recorded with Inflo (Karen O / Danger Mouse, Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz) and Tony Hoffer, reached number 1 in the Scottish and Vinyl Album charts and number 14 in the UK official charts.

The Snuts are: Jack Cochrane (vocals/guitar), Joe McGillveray (guitar),

Callum ‘29’ Wilson (bass) and Jordan ‘Joko’ Mackay (drums).

https://www.thesnuts.co.uk// Twitter /Instagram /Facebook / TikTok

 “Jehnny Beth is like a work of fiction. If you could draw her from scratch, you would not wish to alter a single stroke of her shape as a character. When she plays live, she walks out into the crowd across a sea of outstretched hands (Google it!) and she looks like my Joan of Arc. She talks about her love of moshpits, dangerous sex (in her lyrics, and a new book of short stories) and of emancipation.” – Mary Anne Hobbs, Grazia

Today, songwriter, singer, and author Jehnny Beth releases her debut solo album, a sonic tour de force entitled To Love Is To Live.  The record was recorded in Los Angeles, London, and Paris, and features a number of collaborators, including producers Flood, Atticus Ross, andlongtime co-creator Johnny Hostile.  It also features guest turns from The xx’s Romy Madley Croft, actor Cillian Murphy, and IDLES’ Joe Talbot.

The album’s release comes with a short film by acclaimed creative studio Hingston Studio, who also collaborated with Jehnny Beth on the record’s powerful cover art, for the song “We Will Sin Together.”

Click HERE to watch the short film for “We Will Sin Together.”

Click HERE to listen toTo Love Is To Live.

“We Will Sin Together” is music video as film; high-art pop seamlessly blending sound and vision.  Focused on an intimate encounter of male and female alter egos exploring pleasure, power and transformation, the film also features religious and mythological iconography throughout.  Over five individual scenes, subtle references to specific moments in Catholic, Roman and Greek narratives are made – the Virgin Mary; Cupid and Psyche; Pluto and Proserpina; Michael and Lucifer; and Satyr and Hermaphroditus. The short film combines 3D capture of Jehnny Beth taken from the original album photo session by Hingston Studio, alongside motion capture shot in early March.

“The embodiment of different voices, and this whole notion of embracing the masculine and feminine characteristics of identity was the main starting point for us,” explains creative director Tom Hingston, who has previously worked with David Bowie, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Grace Jones, and more. “The record has an attitude and a driving intent – there is a rawness from her lyrics and the production which doesn’t sound like anything you’ve heard before.”

Praise for To Love Is To Live:

“To Love Is to Liveis an eerie, almost cinematic experience…[Jehnny] has continued to evolve into a multi-hyphenate talent.” – New York Times 

“…if “Flower” is any indication, her upcoming solo LP, To Love Is to Live, will be a dusky, expressionistic affair — the kind, like with “Flower,” that begs you to keep listening. And if it’s like “Flower,” it’ll be worth it.” – Rolling Stone

 “’To Love Is To Live’ is an in your face experience…Jehnny Beth has an undeniable power.” – MOJO

“It’s impossible not to be in awe of Jehnny Beth.” – Gigwise

 “Beth immersed listeners in a world that felt dystopian but ultimately encouraged escapism.” – Evening Standard

“Experimental and provocative.” – Crack Magazine 

“‘To Love Is To Live’ is broad, spanning industrial noise, dissonant jazz and eerie ballardry.” – Guardian  

“Gothic pop, electronic ambience and haunting ballardry.”– Q 

“…an industrial post-punk track that is equal parts enveloping and off-putting. “I’m The Man” is heavy, shocking, and very, very exciting.” – UPROXX

“Sonically, we’re in visceral, industrial punk territory, with a little piano interlude to let you catch your breath.” – Brooklyn Vegan

“[“Flower”] is spare yet tense, trembling with a film noir anxiousness…It’s anthemic and, as usual, it draws immediate comparisons to Siouxsie Sioux’s trademark intensity.” – Paste Magazine

““Heroine”, brings a more melodic air to the affair…the Savages singer hasn’t taken her foot off the post-punk pedal for this one — not at all. But with warped jazz horns and undulating baking vocals swirling together over propellant drums, there’s a more hypnotic thrust here.” – Consequence of Sound

“[“Flower”] builds from a slow-creeping pulse to a rippling, serrated electronic rock track that wrings its power from tension and release.” – Stereogum      

 ““Flower” is a hauntingly seductive piece.” – Aupium   

“Beth’s debut solo album, To Love Is To Live, is a cathartic blast of beauty and darkness that exemplifies everything you would expect from this dynamic visionary.” – Northern Transmissions 

“Cacophony and bravado briefly give way to tenderness in “I’m the Man,” a solo blast from Jehnny Beth of Savages. Drums slam hard, stopping and starting, and electronics screech and sputter and blare, hurtling ahead as Beth channels male arrogance. But there are second thoughts: The beat vanishes, hazy keyboard chords waft up, and Beth turns to crooning…But that’s only temporary, perhaps too vulnerable; at the end, the noisy armor comes crashing back.” – The New York Times

Watch the video for first single “I’m The Man.”

Watch the video for second song “Flower.”

Watch the video for third song “Innocence.”

Watch the video for fourth song “Heroine.”

JEHNNY BETH

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“Everybody’s lonely, oh babe, just look around”: the belting opening chorus line of Margo Price’s new single “Letting Me Down” wasn’t meant to be a premonition when she recorded it – with Sturgill Simpson co-producing and contributing backing vocals – at Hollywood’s legendary EastWest Studios. But since postponing the release of the song and her album That’s How Rumors Get Started (Loma Vista Recordings), those lyrics have taken on a new truth.

Now, rescheduled and resolute, Margo has announced a new July 10^th release date for ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’. On the album’s delay and the emotional decisions she’s faced these past three months, Margo says: “Take me back to the day I started trying to paint my masterpiece so I could warn myself of what was ahead. Time has rearranged, it has slowed down, it has manipulated things like it always does…the words to some of these songs have changed meaning, they now carry heavier weight.I’ve seen the streets set ablaze, the sky set on fire. I’ve been manic, heartbroken for the world, heartbroken for the country, heartbroken from being heartbroken again and again.This album is a postcard of a landscape of a moment in time. It’s not political but maybe it will provide an escape or relief to someone who needs it. Sending love to everyone out there and hope I see you down the highway.”

Today, Margo shares “Letting Me Down” with a music video directed by Kimberly Stuckwisch, who drove an RV from Los Angeles to Nashville to film in Margo’s home and an abandoned hospital where she performs a stunning dance sequence choreographed by her sister Kylie.

Watch “Letting Me Down” HERE

Written by Margo and Jeremy Ivey to a pair of former high school friends, “Letting Me Down” is about two teenage runaways trying to escape a workaday life. The song follows “Twinkle Twinkle,” a “bold foot-stomper” (TIME) that found Margo sounding “looser and tarter than ever” (New York Times) as she tore down the illusions of fame; and “Stone Me,” the first track released from the new album, which Margo debuted with a performance on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. 

Despite the change of plans for That’s How Rumors Get Started, Margo Price has remained prolific during her time in self-isolation. Last month, she surprise-released Perfectly Imperfect at The Ryman, a live album benefitting the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. Recorded during her sold-out, three-night residency at the Nashville auditorium, NPR Music called it “a triumphant time capsule, marking Price’s arrival as a Nashville giant and one of Americana’s brightest contemporary acts.” She also launched a New York Times-recommended radio show called Runaway Horses, and gave at-home performances for Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Luck Reunion and others.

That’s How Rumors Get Started was produced by Sturgill Simpson, and co-produced by Margo Price and David Ferguson. The ten new, original songs were primarily recorded at EastWest Studios (Pet Sounds, “9 to 5”), during the week Margo received her Best New Artist GRAMMY nomination, in the middle of her pregnancy with daughter Ramona. The historic band heard on each of the tracks includes guitarist Matt Sweeney (Adele, Iggy Pop), bassist Pino Palladino (D’Angelo, John Mayer), drummer James Gadson (Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye), and keyboardist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers). Background vocals were added by Simpson on “Letting Me Down,” and the Nashville Friends Gospel Choir on “What Happened To Our Love?” and “Hey Child.” The album is Margo Price’s debut for Loma Vista Recordings.  

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Tanzanian-born and London-based singer, songwriter and producer, Tiggs Da Author has dropped his spirited new single ‘We Ain’t Scared’ – the first taste of his debut record due later this year, and a track that resonates in this emotionally charged current climate. Receiving its first spin on Radio 1Xtra last night, Tiggs spoke about the song from his native Tanzania, where he’s been spending lockdown.

Listen to ‘We Ain’t Scared’ HERE and watch the lyric video HERE

Mixed & produced by Future Cut at The Samplefactory, London, ‘We Ain’t Scared’ is driven by a pumped-up, irrepressible beat. Although written months ago, the song’s political message rings alarmlingly true in the current climate: “You don’t want us to feel alright / You don’t want us to read or write…”

Tiggs says of the track; “I like the idea of a beat doing one thing and you’re saying the complete opposite. For me, what’s important is making songs with a message that gets through, whether immediately or eventually. This song is literally me explaining me moving from Tanzania, then growing up in south London with no father figure. You have to learn from your mistakes and teach yourself how to be a man.”

The end of last year saw the release of his eleven-track ‘MOREFIRE’ mixtape featuring guest appearances from Skrapz, M.anifest, Kida Kudz, SL and ASCO. He also featured on and co-wrote the Nines track ‘Oh My’ which landed a coveted slot on the soundtrack to the huge Netflix show Top Boy. Additionally, Tiggs produced, co-wrote, and featured on Stefflon Don’s single ‘Pretty Girl’, and contributed to J Hus’ gold-selling debut album ‘Common Sense’.

With a debut album coming, recorded in the storied RAK studios with engineer Jonathan Quarmby (Lewis Capaldi, Tom Walker, Plan B, Richard Hawley), ‘We Ain’t Scared’ is the perfect glimpse inside of what is going to be a big year for Tiggs Da Author – an Afrobeat, Afrojazz and Afrosoul extraordinaire.

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GRAMMY® Award-nominated singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright has shared a video for “You Ain’t Big” a song off his highly anticipated upcoming album Unfollow The Rules, out July 10^th through BMG.

Watch ‘You Ain’t Here’ HERE and listen HERE

Wainwright says of the song and video: “I originally wrote the song “You Ain’t Big” about the strange fact that in the music business worldwide until recently (our estimation has fallen considerably) no matter how well you’ve done anywhere else, if you couldn’t make it in the heartland of the US you weren’t really considered a true star. Think Little Richard, Elvis, the Beatles and Julio Iglesias. However, in releasing this song now which references states such as Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas (where I have had the pleasure of playing shows) and even New York and California, all troubled places during this tremendously turbulent time nationwide, the term “You Ain’t Big” has taken on additional meanings. The song at heart is apolitical. Its vintage sound harkens back to the classical American country music sound of the 40s and 50s and with the help of opposing images in the video of how different life was for white people compared to black people in the 1950’s, as it has sadly remained, I think it rings appropriate for this time and professes a certain truth.”

In addition to the video Rufus has made available on his YouTube channel RUFUS WAINWRIGHT: UNMAKING UNFOLLOW THE RULES, a behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the extraordinary creation of his eagerly anticipated new album. The short film, directed by Jeff Richter of Earthquake Productions (Guns N Roses, Lenny Kravitz, De La Soul) features intimate interviews and discussions with Mitchell Froom, David Boucher, Petra Haden, Jim Keltner, Blake Mills, Rob Moose, David Piltch, and Rufus Wainwright.

Wainwright’s ninth studio LP and first new pop album since 2012, UNFOLLOW THE RULES finds the artist at the peak of his powers, entering artistic maturity with passion, honesty, and a new-found fearlessness while remaining as creative, bold, and mischievous as ever. Produced by Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Paul McCartney, Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, Randy Newman) at a variety of legendary Los Angeles studios – including Sound City Studios, United Recording, and EastWest Studios –the album serves as both bookend to Act I of an extraordinary career which, like UNFOLLOW THE RULES, began in the studios of Los Angeles, but also now as the first lines of a remarkable new chapter. Inspired by middle age, married life, fatherhood, friends, loss, London, and Laurel Canyon, songs like the acclaimed single, “Damsel In Distress” and the powerful, album-closing “Alone Time” find the gifted singer-songwriter ready to tackle new challenges, yet compelled to confront his past by making sense of how he has grown both as a musician and the contended family man he has become.